When you purchase a new vehicle we recommend the following:
• check with your insurance carrier for the rates for the particular
car you are thinking about purchasing; also ask about similar
vehicle rates
•
find a rental car company that rents the car you are considering
and rent it for a weekend trip. It could cost you a hundred dollars, but
if you don’t like the car for extended trips, it can save thousands!
• call us and we could probably tell you with a quick computer
search if there have been service problems or recalls on this
type of vehicle
When you purchase a used vehicle we recommend the following:
•
check with your insurance carrier (see above)
•
arrange to have the current owner bring the vehicle to us for
a thorough inspection; we will give you a report on anything that we find
as a current problem and be able to advise you on most future repairs that
may be necessary
•
consider a “car-fax” search to determine the history of the
vehicle
•
check in the newspaper or the trade magazines for like vehicles
to confirm the car is priced correctly; the “blue book” is
not always the best barometer of price
Always when you drive:
•
keep in mind what type of driving you do and follow the maintenance
schedule in your owner handbook
•
rotate tires every 5-6 thousand miles and have your brakes
checked at that time
•
before getting in your car, look under it for any fluids
•
check under the hood every 300-500 miles for fluid levels and
any other problems
•
at the summer and winter season changes, have everything checked
on your car; that is the time many systems will fail
The best advice we can give you for the proper mechanical care of your
vehicle is that you have regular maintenance (oil changes etc.), regular
inspections by professional technicians, and most importantly if you feel
that something is not right (sound, feel, smell) call
us to check it for
you, or click here to schedule an appointment.
